I can’t believe I didn’t know about shopping portals until I got into the points and miles hobby. I had heard of Ebates but never used it because I thought it was a scam and too good to be true. Boy, was I wrong! Now, I love shopping portals and never make online purchases without going through one.

Shopping Portals Earn Points and Miles Too

Shopping portals are a breeze to use and a goldmine for earning extra points. Whether it’s Rakuten for cash back or the airline and credit card companies’ shopping portal, a simple click before your purchase can earn additional miles or points, it’s that straightforward!

For example, if you’re purchasing a new laptop worth $1,000 and the portal offers 5 miles per dollar spent, you could earn an extra 5,000 miles just by clicking that link.

Taking a moment to review portal options before making a purchase can really add up over time. Before you buy something, spend a few minutes checking these portals. This small effort can lead to significant rewards in the long run. Here are my earnings from Rakuten to date. This amount does not include my husband’s earnings, which are approximately the same.

Another perk of Rakuten is that although it’s marketed as a cash-back shopping portal, you can link to your Amex Membership Rewards account and earn membership rewards instead. It’s very easy to get outsized value from Membership Rewards, so this is always a better option, in my opinion. 

So Many Shopping Portal Options

While Rakuten might be the most well-known shopping portal, it is certainly not the only one. 

Check this out.

When I am about to make a purchase, I go to one of my favorite sites, Cashback Monitor.  This wonderful site tracks all of the shopping portal options and shows you the current point per dollar of all of them.  Before I make any online purchases, I go to Cashback Monitor and look up the store that I plan to purchase from. From there, I can choose if I want the highest return or a different type of points—whichever points I need most at that moment. 

My husband has been warned that if I see a purchase on the credit card and I do not see shopping portal points, he will be sitting in economy on our next long-haul flight.

Reminder of Responsibility

While the allure of a great portal offer can be tempting, it’s crucial to remember that our points and miles game can only thrive if we’re financially responsible. Let’s shop smart and enjoy the rewards without overextending ourselves. 

Browser Extensions

If going to Cashback Monitor is too much work for you, another option exists. Various shopping portals offer extensions that can be added to your browser, so if there is a portal bonus, it will pop up and give you the good news. If I forget to go to Cashback Monitor, I have the Rakuten, Capital One, and American Airlines browser extensions set to inform me of their bonuses. 

Shopping Portals Can Help Achieve Status

Another perk of shopping portals is they can help you earn status.  The only reason I achieved American Airlines Executive Platinum in the past few years is that I earn loyalty points when I shop on the American Airlines Shopping portal. Yes, I travel a decent amount for work but needed the shopping portal to top off my earnings. 

Referral Bonus

If you are not already using Rakuten and other shopping portals, you really must start now. Please use my referral link for Rakuten and enjoy a few bonus points. Once you fall in love with Rakuten, you can share your referral link with friends and family, and you both will enjoy a few extra bonus points. 

Holiday Sales

Remember, like all retailers, shopping portals tend to have higher bonuses during holiday shopping days.  Think Black Friday, Presidents Day, etc.  An advanced shopping portal strategy would mean you wait to purchase until one of these bonus days and earn even more points.  No, there are never enough points!

Thanks for reading, Friends.  Happy Shopping!